How to Elevate Pharmacy Operations with Advanced EHR Systems

Electronic health record (EHR) systems have become invaluable tools for pharmacies looking to elevate their operations. Advanced EHR systems provide pharmacies with better workflow efficiency, inventory management, prescription processing, billing and collections, and overall pharmacy management.

Benefits of EHR Systems for Pharmacies

Electronic health record (EHR) systems provide numerous valuable benefits that help pharmacies improve their operations, increase efficiency, and deliver better patient care.

1. Increased Efficiency

EHR systems significantly improve pharmacy efficiency by:

Streamlining workflow for prescription filling, administrative tasks, reporting, and inventory management.
Integrating with e-prescribing networks to reduce data entry and paper prescriptions.
Automating manual processes like refill requests, prescription transfers, and insurance claims submissions.
Optimizing staff productivity through the reduction of time spent on low-value administrative tasks.

This increased efficiency enables staff pharmacists to dedicate more time to direct patient care activities.

2. Enhanced Patient Safety

A robust EHR system enhances patient safety through:

Drug utilization reviews that automatically screen for harmful drug interactions and contraindications.
Access to comprehensive patient medication history across care settings.
Alerts for duplicate therapies, high-risk medications, and excessive doses.
Tracking tools to improve medication adherence.

One study found that EHR-enabled clinical decision support helps reduce adverse drug events by up to 55%.

3. Improved Operations

EHR systems improve pharmacy operations with:

Centralized data and document access improve collaboration across locations and shifts.
Inventory, billing, and prescription data integration providing end-to-end visibility.
Custom reporting and analytics for smarter, data-driven decisions.
Tools assisting with pharmacy audit and regulatory compliance.

These operational improvements lead to reduced costs, maximized reimbursements, and minimized risks over the long term.

4. Increased Growth Opportunities

Advanced EHR systems help pharmacies sustainably grow by:

Allowing efficient management of higher patient volumes and prescription counts.
Supporting expansion to multi-location central fill capabilities.
Providing the foundation for emerging opportunities like telehealth integration.

EHR implementation is a key step to support steady business growth for years to come.

According to a survey conducted by Pharmacy Times, over 82% of pharmacists said implementing an EHR system helped increase productivity and efficiency.

According to data from the National Community Pharmacists Association, the percentage of independent pharmacies in the US adopting pharmacy management systems, including EHR capabilities, has grown from:

Data Source: NCPA

How EHR Systems Improve Pharmacy Operations

Advanced EHR systems allow pharmacies to elevate all aspects of their operations from workflow to inventory and financials.

Prescription Management

EHR systems dramatically improve prescription processing with features like:

E-prescribing integration.
Automated refill requests.
Prescription transfer capabilities.
Barcode scanning for dispensing.
Drug utilization review.
Patient medication history access.

This leads to up to 50% faster prescription filling and an average 30% increase in prescription volume capacity.

Inventory Management

EHR systems optimize pharmacy inventory management with:

Automatic purchase order generation.
Low stock alerts and tracking.
Expiration date monitoring.
Inventory analytics and reporting.
Drug recall assistance.

A study found that over 75% of pharmacies using an EHR system reported improved inventory control.

Billing and Collections

Advanced EHR systems elevate pharmacy billing and collections by:

Integrating with insurance claims clearinghouses.
Supporting online insurance eligibility checks.
Providing transparent billing with detailed statements.
Offering customer payment plan options.
Sending payment reminders and past-due alerts.

Pharmacies leveraging EHR billing and collection tools see up to a 60% increase in accounts receivable recovery.

Comparison Between Basic and Advanced Pharmacy EHR Systems

Feature	Basic EHR System	Advanced EHR System
Prescription Management	Basic e-prescribing and refill capabilities.	Robust prescription processing and management tools.
Inventory Management	Manual purchasing and basic stock tracking.	Automated purchasing, analytics, and recall management.
Billing and Collections	Limited insurance and billing features.	Integrated billing, statements, and collection tools.
Reporting and Analytics	Basic sales and operational reports.	Custom reports, detailed analytics, and business intelligence.
Patient Engagement	None of the basic patient portals.	Integrated patient notifications, medication history access, and telehealth options.

Advanced EHR systems offer significantly enhanced capabilities and greater visibility into the pharmacy business.

Integrating Robust Reporting and Analytics

Advanced EHR systems integrate robust reporting and analytics capabilities to elevate pharmacy data visibility for smarter decision-making with features including:

Custom reporting across prescriptions, patients, inventory, and more.
Integrated business intelligence and analytics.
Dashboard and insights for tracking KPIs.
Data integration with accounting, POS, and other systems.
Automated reports are delivered via email and portals.

When researching pharmacy EHR solutions, it’s essential to prioritize reporting and analytics.

Enhancing Patient Engagement

Leading EHR systems enable pharmacies to better engage patients with tools like:

Integrated patient portals.
Automated notifications and reminders.
Shared access to medication history.
Convenient prescription renewal options.
Feedback surveys and reviews monitoring.
Telehealth integration for remote conferencing.

These features promote medication adherence, prevent prescription abandonment, and encourage patient retention.

Selecting the Best Pharmacy EHR System

When researching pharmacy EHR solutions, focus on systems offering:

Optimized workflows to prevent disruptions.
End-to-end pharmacy operations visibility.
Scalability to grow with future business.
Robust data reporting and analytics.
HIPAA compliance with high security.
Support on-premises, cloud, or hybrid.
Vendor financial stability and longevity.

Prioritizing these key considerations helps ensure Selecting the most fitting advanced EHR system to elevate pharmacy performance over the long term.

FAQs

What are the main benefits advanced EHR systems offer pharmacies in the US?

The primary benefits advanced EHR systems offer US pharmacies are increased efficiency and productivity, improved patient safety through clinical decision support, enhanced operational visibility and controls, and elevated financial performance.

How much does a pharmacy EHR system cost on average for US pharmacies?

An advanced pharmacy EHR system costs between $5,000 to $70,000 for US pharmacies on average including software licenses, data migration, training, and support. Ongoing costs range from $3,000 to $10,000 annually.

What impact can an EHR system have on pharmacy inventory management?

A pharmacy leveraging an advanced EHR system for inventory management can expect over 75% improvements in inventory visibility, turn rates, shrink reduction, and labor costs related to purchasing and tracking stock.

How much can a pharmacy EHR system increase prescription volume capacity?

By streamlining prescription processing, verification, and filing workflow, pharmacies can expect to increase prescription volume capacity by 20% to 40% using an advanced EHR system. This allows for meeting rising community demand.

Conclusion

Implementing a robust and feature-rich EHR system empowers pharmacies to achieve new levels of operational efficiency. Advanced EHR systems provide superior prescription, inventory, and billing management along with powerful reporting for data-driven decisions.

Unlocking an advanced EHR system’s capabilities ensures a pharmacy can continue to profitably meet and exceed patient needs while elevating the business.